At the present time there are available commercially manufactured jaw implant frame devices intended to be implanted in a patient's mouth and to serve subsequently as supports for artificial teeth or dentures. As an example, "Ramus Frames" are available, made by United Implant Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada. These frame devices are generally U-shaped and are made with adjustably bendable implantable side arms and with implantable front lugs adapted to respectively supportingly engage with the rear side and front portions of a patient's mandible. The devices are made in different sizes and heretofore have been selected and adjusted in shape mainly by trial and error, consuming a great deal of time in selecting the proper size and shaping the device in order to properly fit a patient, accompanying this with considerable discomfort on the part of the patient. Thus, it has been necessary to ascertain (a) what size implant to use, (b) at what angles to bend the frame side arms so that their ends properly engage with the rear end portions of the patient's jaw, and (c) where to locate the front tissue channel so that the front of the frame is substantially perpendicularly positioned relative to the jaw. To date, proper placement of the Ramus Frame implant has been a highly demanding task for the dental surgeon and has required a large measure of skill and precision on the part of the surgeon. Thus, even practitioners with a maximum amount of experience in this operation have expressed the need for a device to aid in the fitting of the Ramus Frame. Heretofore there has been no adequate instrument to fill this need.
As a result of a preliminary search of the prior art, the following prior U.S. patents of interest were located, which appear to show the current state of the art:
Bonhorst, U.S. Pat. No. 90,705
Keppie, U.S. Pat. No. 1,006,660
Santori, U.S. Pat. No. 1,419,645
Belanger et al, U.S. Pat. No. 1,460,275
Riedel, U.S. Pat. No. 1,708,191
Coble, U.S. Pat. No. 2,060,555
Stein et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,497
Schwartz et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,849